ότι, να or που: what joins what
One little word of English — "that", or its silent partners — covers several different jobs, and Greek keeps them apart. Which conjunction to choose is dictated not by the meaning of the sentence but by the verb in front of it, and it is the lists you have to memorize. For example: “Νομίζω ότι θα με προσλάβουν” — I think they will hire me. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a…
How it works
One little word of English — "that", or its silent partners — covers several different jobs, and Greek keeps them apart. Which conjunction to choose is dictated not by the meaning of the sentence but by the verb in front of it, and it is the lists you have to memorize.
ότι (or πως (pos)) — after verbs of knowing and speaking: λέω (léo), νομίζω (nomízo), ξέρω (kséro), ακούω (akúo), πιστεύω (pistévo). Νομίζω ότι θα με προσλάβουν (nomízo óti tha me prozlávun) — I think they will hire me.
να (na) — after verbs of will, ability and necessity: θέλω (thélo), μπορώ (boró), πρέπει (prépi), προσπαθώ (prospathó), ξέρω (in the sense "I know how"), ελπίζω (elpízo). Θέλω να δουλέψω εδώ (thélo na dulépso edó) — I want to work here. English puts its to-form here; Greek has none, and να takes its place.
που (pu) — after verbs of feeling and perception, when the fact itself is not in dispute: Χαίρομαι που σε βλέπω (khérome pu se vlépo), Λυπάμαι που έφυγες, Τον είδα που έφευγε. Saying ότι here is possible and you will be understood, but the sentence turns colder: που says the event has already happened, and what is being discussed is the feeling about it.
One verb swaps the conjunction together with the meaning. Ξέρω ότι οδηγεί (kséro óti odiyí) — I know that he is driving; Ξέρω να οδηγώ (kséro na odigó) — I know how to drive.
Table
| after what | the conjunction | example |
|---|---|---|
| λέω, νομίζω, ξέρω, ακούω | ότι, πως | είπε ότι υπέγραψε |
| θέλω, μπορώ, πρέπει, ελπίζω | να | πρέπει να υπογράψω |
| χαίρομαι, λυπάμαι, βλέπω | που | χαίρομαι που υπέγραψες |
| ξέρω in the sense "know how" | να | ξέρω να οδηγώ |
By example
- Νομίζω ότι θα με προσλάβουνnomízo óti tha me prozlávunI think they will hire me
- Θέλω να δουλέψω σε αυτή τη θέσηthélo na dulépso se aftí ti thésiI want to work in this position
- Χαίρομαι που πέρασα τη συνέντευξηkhérome pu pérasa ti sinéndefksiI am glad I passed the interview
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Ότι, να or που: which that to use?
One little word of English — "that", or its silent partners — covers several different jobs, and Greek keeps them apart. Which conjunction to choose is dictated not by the meaning of the sentence but by the verb in front of it, and it is the lists you have to memorize.
Ότι vs που in Greek?
ότι (or πως) — after verbs of knowing and speaking: λέω, νομίζω, ξέρω, ακούω, πιστεύω. Νομίζω ότι θα με προσλάβουν — I think they will hire me.
Why θέλω να and not θέλω ότι?
να — after verbs of will, ability and necessity: θέλω, μπορώ, πρέπει, προσπαθώ, ξέρω (in the sense "I know how"), ελπίζω. Θέλω να δουλέψω εδώ — I want to work here. English puts its to-form here; Greek has none, and να takes its place.
Ξέρω ότι or ξέρω να?
που — after verbs of feeling and perception, when the fact itself is not in dispute: Χαίρομαι που σε βλέπω, Λυπάμαι που έφυγες, Τον είδα που έφευγε. Saying ότι here is possible and you will be understood, but the sentence turns colder: που says the event has already happened, and what is being…
After which Greek verbs που is used?
One verb swaps the conjunction together with the meaning. Ξέρω ότι οδηγεί — I know that he is driving; Ξέρω να οδηγώ — I know how to drive.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Νομίζω ότι θα με προσλάβουν” (nomízo óti tha me prozlávun) — I think they will hire me. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.